Chapter 10 - THE CRASH
Vanessa survived.
Barely.
The substance in her IV had been caught quickly enough.
Grant Mercer became the center of a statewide manhunt.
But Maya was thinking about the photograph.
Claire’s wrecked car.
“She was first.”
First victim?
Or first target?
Ortiz reopened Claire Caldwell’s accident investigation that same morning.
The original photographs showed something investigators had missed.
A thin cut in the brake line.
Not enough to cause immediate failure.
Enough to slowly drain pressure.
Maya sat beside Ethan in the police conference room.
“They killed her.”
Ethan said nothing.
He stared at the photograph.
His fingers trembled.
Ortiz spoke carefully.
“The evidence suggests the vehicle may have been tampered with.”
“By Grant?”
“We’re working on that.”
Vanessa had asked for immunity.
Ortiz refused full immunity but offered to relay her cooperation to prosecutors.
That changed everything.
Vanessa started talking.
Grant had stolen from the trust.
Claire discovered it.
Grant arranged the brake failure.
Vanessa helped hide financial records afterward.
Months later, she deliberately met Ethan.
Not by chance.
By design.
“She was supposed to marry me,” Ethan whispered.
Ortiz nodded.
“According to her statement, yes.”
“And eventually inherit.”
“Yes.”
Maya felt sick.
“What was supposed to happen to Oliver?”
Ortiz hesitated.
“Vanessa claims Grant wanted a series of accidents.”
Ethan stood.
“What does that mean?”
“One for Claire. One for Oliver.”
“And me?”
Ortiz looked at him.
“Eventually.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Maya suddenly remembered the pool.
Vanessa filming.
The camera deletion.
The forged disciplinary notice.
“They needed someone to blame for Oliver.”
Ortiz nodded.
“You.”
“Then after Oliver died, Maya goes to prison,” Ethan said. “Vanessa comforts me.”
“And later something happens to you.”
Nobody spoke.
A perfect chain.
Except Oliver had survived.
Because Maya had seen the push.
Ortiz’s phone rang.
She listened.
Then stood abruptly.
“What?”
“They found Grant’s car.”
“Where?”
“Airport parking garage.”
Ethan looked alarmed.
“He left the state?”
“We don’t know.”
Ortiz listened again.
Her expression changed.
“There’s a body inside.”
Maya felt her stomach turn.
“Grant?”
“No.”
“Who?”
Ortiz slowly lowered the phone.
“Vanessa’s younger brother.”
Maya frowned.
“What does he have to do with this?”
Ortiz looked at Ethan.
“According to the documents found with the body, he was listed as the owner of three companies receiving money from Oliver’s trust.”
Ethan stared.
Then Maya realized something.
If Grant had killed Vanessa’s brother and tried to kill Vanessa, he was not simply running.
May you like
He was erasing everyone who could connect him to the money.
And Maya had just become the most important living witness left.
